Model-based design finally gets an embedded tool chain

February 13, 2014 //
By Nick Flaherty

Two European companies have joined forces to provide the first full tool chain for high level model-based design in embedded systems.

Model-based tool provider LieberLieber Software is working with debug tool chain developer iSYSTEM on an integrated tool chain for model based testing and debugging of embedded software. This cooperation allows software developers to use UML-tools to test and debug on the model layer.
Both the market for embedded solutions and the market for model based software and system development are growing, but there is a lack of tools for testing and debugging software directly from the model with specific hardware. “The embedded market finally is ready. It took some years to bring modeling, code generation and debugging tools together," said Erol Simsek, CEO of iSYSTEM.
The tool chain combines the enar uml debugger, the first graphical UML debugger integrated in Enterprise Architect, with winIDEA, an integrated development environment for embedded software development and testing. LieberLieber’s UML debugger is based on enar uml2code, a code generator for embedded systems. The code generated by a customer selected compiler may be transferred directly to the hardware. Finally enar uml debugger is connected to the target system through iSYSTEM’s infrastructure, allowing graphical testing of code and debugging of the model with the visualization module of the UML debugger. Both code generator and UML debugger from LieberLieber Software support class and activity models as well as state machines. iSYSTEM´s software and hardware tools (winIDEA and blue box) are available for more than 50 different CPU architectures, 3500 microcontrollers and 150 compilers.
“Together we address the growing market of model based embedded development and provide an integrated tool chain for testing and debugging embedded software”, says Roman Bretz, CTO of LieberLieber Software. "Efficient model based approaches to embedded software development need to build on an integrated tool chain. Our first step on the embedded market was the enar uml2code for embedded systems, a code generator providing platform independent C++ and MISRA compliant C-code from UML models. With the enar uml debugger we expand our offer for